Harry Potter and the Return to Azkaban
by 101stAirborneChic
Summary: Harry gets a letter from a mysterious person, warning of danger. Someone dear returns, but their identity is revealed and he is taken away to Azkaban. But a transfer student keeps Harry's attention at bay.
1. Sighting in London

Harry woke one fine Saturday morning to a beautiful ray of light shining through his window. He had not realized that it was so late in the morning. He looked over at the old, broken alarm clock that Dudley, his rather large cousin, had broken only last year. So, as usual, Harry got the old hand-me-downs of everything Dudley had once owned. The clock read 10:24, even though Harry could not make out the two because the light was almost burnt out.

Harry was startled that it was so late. Why hadn't his aunt and uncle woken him up? This was quite odd to Harry as he found himself scrambling out of bed and putting on his clothes. He opened his door and ran down the steps, hoping beyond hope that the Dursleys had gone out for the day. Maybe he would be able to have the house to himself and use Dudley's television that he had not managed to break yet. Harry burst through the door expecting to find no one in the kitchen, but came to a halt in front of his Uncle Vernon, who at this moment, looked furious.

"This, this person wants to talk to, to…_you_!" Uncle Vernon spat in his face. Slowly, and Harry was used to this by now, Uncle Vernon's face started to turn purple as he shoved the telephone hard into Harry's chest.

"Hello?" Harry asked nervously.

"Harry? Harry, is that you?"

Harry recognized the voice immediately. It was Hermione, his best friend from Hogwarts.

"Hermione? Is that really you?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Yeah! I just called to check on you. Have you gotten a letter from Ron yet? He was going to try to call you again, but I told him that I didn't think that was such a good idea. Especially after all that happened last time he tried." Hermione said matter-of-factly.

Harry remembered all too well what happened when Ron tried to call him two summers ago. Uncle Vernon had answered the telephone to a voice that was screaming so loud through the telephone that the neighbors probably had overheard every word. That was the first, and probably last time Ron would ever use a telephone. Harry received a very long lecture that night from Uncle Vernon about giving out their telephone number to "people of Harry's kind."

"No, I haven't gotten a letter from him yet. Do you know what it's about?" Harry asked hoping that she knew. But before Hermione could answer, there was a _tat tat_ on the window.

Pig, Ron's miniature owl, was sitting on the windowsill, obviously waiting impatiently to get inside. Harry told Hermione to hold on while he ran over to the window to let Pig in. By this time, Uncle Vernon had left the room and Aunt Petunia and Dudley were nowhere in sight.

Pig swooped in, landed on the kitchen table, and held out his leg, revealing a small piece of parchment attached to it. Harry quickly ran over and untied the parchment. He unraveled it and read the letter quietly to himself:

_Hey Harry!_

_Just wanted to write and tell you that Mum said that you can come over for the rest of the summer! Hope those Muggles let you come. If not, Mum and Dad have a back-up plan. I don't know what it is yet. Has Hermione called you? She told me that she was going to try to call you on that telephone thing. I hope she does better that I did. Send Pig back with your answer._

_Ron_

"Harry! HARRY!"

Harry had completely forgotten about Hermione still being on the telephone. He ran over while Pig flew back out through the window.

"Sorry 'bout that Hermione. Pig just came with the letter from Ron. I kinda got caught up reading it and forgot about you." Harry explained.

"Nice to know that I'm not that important." Hermione grunted into the telephone.

"No, no! Don't take it that way!" Harry tried to reason.

"I'm just joking around! I would never get angry like that over something that little. You know, I am allowed a few jokes also rather than just you and Ron."

"Yeah. You had me worried there." Harry's head buzzed with the thought of being able to go back to the Weasley's house for the rest of the summer. Thoughts of being able to fly in their yard and just being with his friends danced around in his head.

"Hey Harry, I have to go. My parents are taking me shopping. That should be fun. I'll talk to you later. Crooshanks says hi." Hermione spit out quickly. Harry could hear her parents calling her in the background.

"Bye." Harry said in a depressed sort of tone.

"Bye Harry. I'll see you soon." And Hermione hung up.

Harry hastily put the telephone back down on the table and looked down the hallway. He thought he heard Dudley smashing his Smeltings stick around. Dudley loved to beat Harry with the stick until Harry threatened that he would put a curse on him. For you see, Harry is unlike any other person. He is a wizard and he was going to his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But unfortunately, Dudley ran and told on Harry and he was thrown into his room and was forced to stay in there for two weeks.

Little to Harry's surprise, Dudley came running into the kitchen. Over the summer Dudley had gotten even bigger in size and Aunt Petunia had been frequently receiving letters from the nurse at Dudley's school saying that he is too big for his age (He's not big – he's just big boned!), and since then, Dudley had been on a diet of only a salad everyday. And since Dudley had to suffer, Aunt Petunia made the rest of them suffer with him. Uncle Vernon would complain everyday that he needed more food (NO! You have to go through what our Duddems has to go through). Harry, on the other hand, had a supply of food hidden in his room that his friends Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, and Dobby sent him over the summer.

Dudley ran into the kitchen to try to smuggle some food into his pockets and stuff as much as he could into his mouth before Aunt Petunia found out. But no sooner had Dudley opened the cabinet door, Aunt Petunia burst through and saw what Dudley was doing.

"DUDLEY! You're supposed to be on a diet! You can't lose weight by eating more. Now I'm going to have to lessen the amount of food you eat!" screamed Aunt Petunia.

"But I'm hungry!" barked Dudley.

"Oh alright. Only a handful of cookies. That's all. Then it's back to your original diet." Aunt Petunia always went soft on Dudley. He was her little angel. But if Harry had tried something like that, Aunt Petunia would have sentenced him to no food for a week. Life was always like this at the Dursley's house. Harry was used to it. After all, he had been living here for fourteen years of his life.

He had been living with the Dursleys since he was one because fourteen years ago, a dark and evil wizard named Lord Voldemort had come to Harry's house and killed his mother and father. But Harry had survived Voldemort's attack and it had backfired upon Voldemort and he was reduced to nothing and was barely alive. Voldemort had attempted to come back several times, but Harry had stopped him. But at the end of last year, something horrible had happened. Lord Voldemort had risen again. And now he was back. Harry had no idea where he was right now, but he had a feeling that he would be seeing him again shortly.

But Harry wasn't concerned about that right now. All he cared about at that moment was convincing his aunt and uncle to let him go to the Weasley's house for the rest of the summer. Harry walked out into the living room where Uncle Vernon was sitting and reading the newspaper. On the front page was a headline that made Harry stop dead in his tracks.

**SIRIUS BLACK HAS BEEN SIGHTED NEAR LONDON**

Sirius Black was Harry's godfather. He had been on the run from the guards at Azkaban, the wizard prison, for about two years now. He was convicted of a crime that he did not commit and was framed for it. Only Harry, Dumbledore, and Harry's closest friends, Ron and Hermione, knew that he was innocent, but the rest of the world didn't believe him. Even the Muggles were looking to capture Sirius. Harry had helped him run and hide from the guards and get away. He had hoped that he would never see that headline, but there it was, right in front of him.

Harry ran over to Uncle Vernon and paused to think of what to say.

"What do you want, boy?" spat Uncle Vernon.

"Umm…er…do you think you can lend me that newspaper?" Harry asked sheepishly.

"For what?" Uncle Vernon was starting to turn purple again.

"I, er…I wanted to, er…to…to read it. Yeah, that's it. I just wanted to read it." Harry stumbled to get the words out.

"Fine. I'll give it to you when I'm done with it." Uncle Vernon said gruffly.

But Harry didn't move. He kept standing there.

"What else do you want?" Uncle Vernon's vein started to throb on his forehead.

"I, er…I was asked to stay with the Weasleys again this summer." Harry tried to find the words.

"And…?" Uncle Vernon asked, trying hard not to strangle Harry.

"And I was wondering if I could go." Harry spoke very fast now.

"Fine. You can leave now if you want. Please do as a matter-of-fact." Uncle Vernon grumbled as he stared back down at the newspaper.

At this, Harry left the room and ran up to his own room. He found Hedwig sitting on the edge of his bed. He got out a piece of parchment and his quill with a bottle of ink. He wrote a short and simple letter that had only three words written on it:

_I can come._


	2. Padfoot's Entrance

Harry tied the letter onto Hedwig's leg and sent her off. As soon as she flew out the window, there was a knock on the door and Uncle Vernon slid the newspaper under the crack in the door. Harry listened after him and heard Uncle Vernon walk heavily back down the stairs. Harry lifted up the newspaper and started to read:

A police reports that Sirius Black, an escaped convict, has been sighted just outside of London. Black committed thirteen murders fourteen years ago and was charged with a life sentence, but has been on the loose for two years.

"It was terrifying! I saw him run behind a bush and then he disappeared. The only thing behind that bush was a big, black dog," cried a shocked bystander.

"I thought he was going to murder me! He stood there with a grin on his face as he stared right at me! I knew I was going to be his next victim, but then the policemen arrived and he fled behind a bush. The only thing I saw after that was a black dog running down towards the end of the street." exclaimed another horror-struck bystander.

The police report that they have fully scouted the area and are still searching high and low for this murderer. All the evidence they could find was a single strand of black hair that forensics have determined was only a dog's hair.

Will this man ever be caught? Will justice ever be served to the families of those who were killed? This reporter can say that only time will tell.

Harry stared blankly down at the article. Sirius had left himself be seen. How could he be so careless? Doesn't he know that Muggles are after him also? What was Harry going to do? If the Dementors, the guards at Azkaban, caught Sirius, they would surely give him the fatal kiss (Dementors suck out your soul). And what about those people? Sirius didn't smile at them. He would never do that. Sirius wasn't insane or mental like that. He would have just gone and hide again. He wouldn't kill anyone. He didn't kill those thirteen people. The good thing was that Harry knew Sirius had escaped. You see, Sirius is an unregistered Animagus (a witch or wizard who can transfigure into a certain animal) and Sirius could transfigure into a big, black dog. It was a little relief to Harry that he knew Sirius had gotten away, but he was now worried that everyone is going to be on high alert to look for him.

Harry started to daydream about going to the Weasley's house. He wished he could leave right now. By the time 5:00 o'clock rolled around, Harry had completely forgotten about all his worries. But just then, an ear-piercing scream ruined the moment. He recognized the high-pitched scream as Aunt Petunia's and he set off down the stairs. Once he reached the hallway, Dudley came pounding past trying to get far away from the source of the scream. Maybe it was Hagrid? Aunt Petunia screamed when she saw him for the first time.

Harry reached the back door and flung it open. A huge, black dog knocked Harry off his feet before realized what was happening. Harry knew who it was as soon as he got to his feet. It was Sirius. He grabbed the dog by the scruff of its neck and pulled it upstairs to his room. He forced the dog under his bed so that it would be hidden. As soon as the dog's tail was shoved under, Uncle Vernon burst through the door into Harry's room.

"Where is it?" Uncle Vernon screamed. His vein looked as though it was about to explode.

"Where's what?" asked Harry trying to keep and innocent face. He didn't want to ruin his only chance of getting away for the rest of the summer.

"You know what! Don't try to play stupid with me!" snapped Uncle Vernon.

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about! All I heard was Aunt Petunia scream. I decided to stay in here because I know how much you hate it when I interfere with you." Harry said, trying not to snap back.

"Very well. You got away with whatever you did this time, but next time, I'll be ready." said Uncle Vernon threateningly, "And by the way, you are not permitted to leave this room for a week because of your smart mouth."

Uncle Vernon turned his heels and stormed out of the room, making sure to slam the door so hard that it made the alarm clock on the desk fall and break. Harry was ready to pull out his wand and turn Uncle Vernon into the ugliest creature he could think of and then put a cage around it that was unbreakable. But Harry knew better. If he did this, the Ministry of Magic would expel him for sure. He had already gotten into trouble with them three years ago, and they said if he messed up again, he would be booted out of Hogwarts. Harry was sure that Professor Snape would appreciate the day Harry was expelled. Snape hated Harry from every cell in his body. So likewise, Harry hated Snape right back.

"Alright. It's okay for you to come out now." Harry said to his bed.

Immediately, the black dog crawled out from under the bed and started to transfigure back into a recognizable human.

"It's good to see you again Harry. I've missed you. I hope these dumb Muggles are treating you well. I'll show them somethin' if…"

"It's alright Sirius. I can deal with them. I've gotten used to it over the years." Harry said, trying to hold back a quick laugh.

Sirius looked very stressed at the moment. He looked thinner than usual and his eyes showed a man that was trying to live. He looked as though he hadn't eaten for a few months.

"Here. Eat this. You need it more than me. At least I do get food here." Harry offered his stored food to Sirius.

"Thank you Harry. You are just like your father. So honest and loving…and caring." Sirius said while looking down at his feet.

Harry heard that often. Everyone said that he was just like his father. The only people that didn't say this were the Dursleys, and that's only because they never talked about his parents. Mentioning them was banned from the house.

"What happened to you? How did you get seen? Why did you _let_ yourself be seen? What if –…"

But Sirius cut Harry short.

"Harry, I didn't do it on purpose. It was Pettigrew. He did it. I dunno how, but he used some kind of hex and it turned me back to human form before I realized it. That's when all these people caught sight of me. I had to run for it. I hid behind a bush and transformed back into a dog. Then I tried searching for Pettigrew so I could get him back and try to clear my name. But I couldn't find him." Sirius explained this very fast.

"But why did you leave your cave in Hogsmeade?" questioned Harry, "You were safe there. No one would have known that you were there."

"That's where you're wrong." Sirius said with a worried expression on his face.

"What? What do you mean?" Harry asked impatiently.

"Pettigrew found that I was there and I spotted Voldemort one night nearing my cave, so I escaped out a back entrance that I found before. The only place that I could think of to come to was here. You and I both need protection from Voldemort. That's why we have to stay together at all costs." Sirius was starting to become hysterical, "I don't want Voldemort to get you like he has…like he has gotten your parents. I would never forgive myself."

"But what about when school starts? I'm going to go, right?" Harry was getting a bit nervous at this moment.

"I'll write to Dumbledore and explain the situation to him. I'm sure he will let me stay with your in your dorm room." Sirius explained.

"Don't you think it would be pretty suspicious? I mean, me having two pets, and one of them isn't even on the list?" asked Harry nervously, thinking of Draco Malfoy, his worst enemy at school.

"Well, I dunno. I never really thought about it. But I'm sure Dumbledore would take care of it, providing the situations that are happening now." Sirius said gently.

"Yeah, I s'pose." But Harry still didn't think that everything was going to be taken care of. He was now worried about what Snape would do. Snape knew that Sirius was a black dog and Snape and Sirius hated each other since they went to Hogwarts together.

Just then, a barn owl swooped into the room with a parcel in its mouth. It dropped the package into Harry's lap and flew into Hedwig's cage to get a drink of water. Then Pig flew in with a letter in his little beak. Pig flew down and was about to climb into Hedwig's cage for a drink, but was shoved out by the owl, who didn't seem to like Pig very well.

Harry leaned over and opened the letter first and read it out loud:

_Hey Harry,_

_I got your note from Hedwig, but she flew out before I could write back, so I had to send Pig with this. Anyway, I'm so glad you can come over. Mum said that we can come pick you up tomorrow around noon, so be ready. We don't know how we are coming to get you yet. I told Dad not to use Floo Powder this time, so we might come by a Muggle taxi or borrow a car from the Ministry. Have you heard anything from Sirius yet? I read in the _Daily Prophet_ that he was seen near London. Is he okay? Has he been caught? You have to fill me in on everything tomorrow. See you then!_

_Ron_

Then Harry turned to the parcel lying in his lap. Who could this be from? It didn't have any name written on the paper, or, for the matter, nothing was written on the paper. He tore open the paper and found something that his blood run cold. He found a piece of paper with giant writing on it in what looked like blood. It said:

_Harry Potter, you're time is short. When you least expect it, I will strike and you will have no one to hide behind and nothing to protect you. Harry Potter, you're time will expire this year._

Sirius ripped the parchment out of Harry's hand and read it. Then he grabbed for parchment and a quill and wrote very fast. He then tied the letter and the note, from who Harry guessed was Voldemort, to the barn owl and sent it off. Harry didn't have anytime to ask whom the letter was to.

"We have to leave soon. No, no. We are leaving _now_." Sirius said in a low voice so that no one could hear.

Harry grabbed Pig and tossed him out the window so that he could fly back to Ron's house. Then he grabbed all his books, parchment, clothes, and his special eagle quill that Hermione had bought him and shoved it all into his trunk. Then Sirius grabbed Hedwig's cage and shrunk it with his wand and tossed that into the trunk as well. Then, to Harry's amazement, he shrunk the whole trunk and handed it to Harry to put it in his pocket. Sirius then made a collar and leash appear in his hand and told him to put that around his neck when he became a dog. Then Sirius transformed back into a dog again and drug Harry down the stairs. As Harry and Sirius quietly crept out the front door, Harry slipped the collar over Sirius's head and attached the leash. Now Harry looked like a normal person walking his dog.

But then Harry stopped suddenly and realized he had forgotten the most important item he owned. He dashed back into the house and up the stairs. When he emerged once again from the house, he was carrying his Firebolt under his arm. Sirius transformed back quietly and shrunk the broomstick, then turned right back into a dog.

Then they headed off towards the Burrow where Harry knew he would be safe for the rest of the summer. And he would be safer with Sirius right there by his side. For one shining moment, Harry was happy. He was with someone who loved him _and _was heading towards his best friend's house to spend the rest of his summer. Nothing could ruin this moment.


	3. The Surprise

The sun was starting to set after they had walked about three miles.

"Are we going to walk the whole way to the Burrow?" asked Harry, hoping that the answer would be no. But unfortunately, the dog shook its head yes.

But then, Sirius and Harry heard a noise from a dark alleyway and saw a bright light. Harry knew right away what it was.

"I've got a better idea!" Harry exclaimed as he pulled Sirius towards the bright light.

"Wait! Wait! I'd like to get on also!" Harry yelled towards the light.

Harry caught up to the giant light just as it started to move. Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand. He held it out and the light stopped.

"Oy! Choo want a ride?" said a man from the light.

"Yeah! Yes I do!"

Now Sirius saw that it was a giant bus.

"Oy! Ernie! Looky 'ere! It's that 'Arry Potter kid! 'E's back again!" said the man.

"Yes, yes I am. How are you doing Stan?" Harry asked as he walked up the bus.

"Well then. 'Arry Potter, welcome back to the Knight Bus!" said Stan, "So, choo remember all the prices?"

"Yeah. Here's your eleven sickles." Harry reached into his pocket and handed the silver coins to Stan.

"So where choo wanna go this time?" asked Stan politely.

"Do you know the Burrow?" Harry asked.

"Do I! Dat's the Weasley's house! Is dat where choo are 'eaded?" Stan seemed happy.

"Yup." answered Harry.

"Alright then. Ernie, choo 'eard 'im! It's off to the Weasleys!" Stan sat back down into the seat next to the driver.

Harry led Sirius to the back of the bus and chose the bed at the very end. Harry sat down on top of the bed as Sirius curled up at the edge. There was a loud BANG and the bus rocketed off to the first destination.

Within a few minutes, they were at the first destination.

"Alright, who gets off here? We 'ave arrived at Diagon Alley!" Stan shouted.

Harry looked out the window and saw the streets empty because of the night. He could see Gringotts towering in the back.

An old witch got up from the bed next to Harry's and walked down from the bus. Harry guessed that she was headed towards the Leaky Cauldron to spend the night.

With another loud BANG, they were off again. This time the ride seemed very bumpy as Sirius was shooken from his nap. Harry wondered what the Dursleys would think when they saw that Harry wasn't there. Harry bet that they would probably have a party.

"Next stop, the Burrow!" Stan yelled.

"Hey, you might as well stay awake for now. It won't be that much longer." Harry whispered into Sirius's ear.

Soon enough, the bus landed right on the driveway of the Burrow.

"The Burrow! Proud 'ome of the Weasley family!" Stan yelled.

Harry got up and Sirius followed him towards the front of the bus.

"Thanks for the ride Ernie. See you later Stan." Harry said as he walked down the steps and onto the driveway.

"Thanks for ridin'! Choo come back again, ya here?" Stan smiled a toothy grin as the doors shut and the bus was gone.

Harry walked up the driveway and towards the front door. When he reached the door, he knocked.

"My oh my! Who could that be at this hour?" came a voice from inside the house.

The door opened, revealing a surprised Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh my! Harry! How did you get here?" she asked.

"I took the Knight Bus." Harry answered.

"Oh, but we were supposed to come and get you tomorrow."

"I know, but Sirius here…"

"Oh! My dear…I guess I…I have quite forgotten about um…about your Godfather." Mrs. Weasley looked a little on edge.

"Oh, it's alright Mrs. Weasley. I swear he's perfectly fine. He never committed anything." Harry said.

"Oh dear. Why I do remember Professor Dumbledore telling me that." Mrs. Weasley's face turned bright red, "Why my dear. Come on in. It's getting kind of nippy outside. Don't want you getting a cold now."

Harry and Sirius followed Mrs. Weasley inside the house.

"Everyone is asleep right now. You can go on up and make yourself at home in Ronald's room." Mrs. Weasley said as she bustled into the kitchen.

Harry and Sirius walked up the narrow, windy steps to the top, where Ron's room was. He cracked open the door and peered inside.

"Who's there?" Ron asked, "Fred, if that's you…"

"Don't worry. It's only me." Harry said.

"Harry? HARRY!" Ron jumped out of bed and ran over to the door to greet his friend.

"Sirius is here with me." Harry spoke quietly, so as to not wake the others.

"Hello Sirius. How have you been? It's good to see you're alright." Ron murmured.

To that, Sirius snorted.

Ron led Harry and Sirius into his room and helped him get settled in. After a few minutes, they settled into bed and fell fast asleep.

When Harry awoke the next morning, he found the room empty. He crawled out of bed and looked around the room. Even Sirius was gone.

"They must have made an early start." Harry stated to himself.

He walked sluggishly down the stairs and into the family room. It was empty in there also. He turned and walked into the kitchen. When he stepped foot into the kitchen, the shock of the scene make his heart skip a beat.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!" everyone yelled together.

Harry was in shock. He had completely forgotten that it was his birthday. And what was even better was that Hermione was there also.

"It's great to see you Harry! I sure have missed you and Ron quite a lot over the summer." Hermione ran up and gave Harry and huge hug, "Later tonight, I must tell you all about me visiting Viktor Krum!"

Harry snuffled a quick laugh as Ron rolled his eyes at the sound of the name.

Harry looked around the kitchen and saw a pile of presents on the kitchen table with a two-foot-high chocolate cake with fifteen candles glowing blue right beside them.

"All right everyone! Gather 'round! It's time for Harry to open his gifts!" Mrs. Weasley bustled around, grabbing all the gifts and handing them to their owners.

Ginny was the first one to step forward.

"Here you go Harry. I hope you like it. I didn't have much money over the summer." Ginny blushed as she backed away from Harry.

Harry started to tear the paper off the square-shaped present and revealed a owl grooming kit.

"Gee! Thanks Ginny! Hedwig will love this!" Harry exclaimed with joy.

Ron walked up and handed Harry a long, thin package.

"This is from Fred, George, Hermione, and me." Ron backed away.

Harry looked at the package for a minute before he started to rip the paper away. It was a brand new broomstick!

"Oh my gosh! A BrushFire 2005! That like, hasn't even been released yet! Thanks so much you guys!" Harry was gleaming with joy.

Then Mr. and Mrs. Weasley handed Harry a small, flat box. He opened the box and revealed new Seeker gloves.

"Oh, wow! This is all so neat! Thank you all so much!" Harry was smiling from ear to ear.

"There's one more dear." Mrs. Weasley bustled over to the counter and picked up the final present, "Here you are. It's from Hagrid and…Sirius." she whispered.

Harry tore open the paper to find a giant plaque with words inscribed in it and a picture of a Quidditch player.

"Well, what is it?" Hermione and Ron asked together. Harry's jaw dropped when he read the inscribed words.

"It says…it says…" Harry was speechless.

"Out with it!" spat Ron.

"Its says that I…_I_ am the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team!" Harry was so happy.

"WOW! You? Gosh, you're so lucky!" Ron was in shock.

"Alright, time for the cake!" Mrs. Weasley yelled.

"Wow. This has been such a great birthday. It's so wonderful having everyone here!" Harry was lying on the spare bed in Ron's room.

"Yeah. Oh, we've decided to head off to Diagon Alley some time this week." Ron said.

"Ok. That will be fun!" Harry whispered, "Well, good-night then."

"Yeah. Good-night Harry. And happy birthday. Now we're finally fifteen…" and Ron was asleep.

Harry leaned over the side of his bed and looked at Sirius.

"Hey, thanks Sirius. I really like the gift from Hagrid and you." Harry said.

He laid back on the bed and fell fast asleep.


	4. The Revealing Dream

"Wake up! C'mon now Harry! You got to wake up!"

Harry was unpleasantly woken up by Ron.

"Mum has breakfast on the table. She told me to come get you." Ron said hastily.

Harry hopped out of bed and slowly began to change. He heard Sirius barking outside. Harry walked over to the window and peered out. Harry noticed something flying across the garden. Fred and George had to de-gnome the garden once again.

Harry bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley placed a plate stacked full of food on it. Harry dug right in without any hesitation.

"That was delicious!" Harry beamed.

"Why thank you dear. Now go on and do whatever you'd like." Mrs. Weasley said.

"OOOWWW!" George bellowed as he ran into the kitchen, "That stupid gnome bit me hard! Look! He even drew blood!"

"Aww…honey…you poor thing…GET BACK TO WORK!" Mrs. Weasley hissed.

"But Mum!"

"No buts about it young man. Now get back to work. Your finger will heal." Mrs. Weasley snorted as she turned and walked upstairs.

"Don't worry George." Fred said as he walked in, "I finished it all. Sirius helped chase the others away."

"Hey Harry, you wanna get your new broomstick and we can practice some Quidditch?" Ron asked.

"Sure! I'll be right back then!" Harry said as he leaped up the stairs and grabbed his new BrushFire 2005. Then he joined Ron at the bottom of the stairs and headed outside onto a field behind the house. Harry mounted his new broom and kicked off the ground. He felt the air rushing past him as he rose high into the air. This was one thing Harry loved most about being a wizard. He loved to fly. It was his favorite pastime. Ron joined him in the air on his Cleansweep. After Fred and George cleaned up their cuts and bruises, they too joined Harry. They all flew around the field, throwing apples at one another, trying to knock each other off their broomsticks.

"Oi! Harry! You wanna practice for the Cup? We're gonna get it. I feel it in me bones!" Fred yelled over the wind.

"Sure!" Harry answered back.

Fred dove down to the ground, ran inside the house, and came back with a box full of balls. None of which were the actual balls, but just modeled after them that you had to throw. They practiced by throwing the balls at one another.

"I'm going to take Wood's place and become Keeper!" Ron said.

"Sure you will! And I'm Snape's best friend!" George yelled.

"Ha! That was a good one." Fred stated. And with that, Fred threw a Quaffle-modeled ball at the goal hoops. Ron dove to make the save, but missed. The ball ended up hitting Ron in the back of his head and knocked him to the ground.

After a while, Fred and George got bored with the game and decided to jinx the Bludgers to explode whenever they hit someone they threw it at. They practiced and played all day until the sky started to darken and the sun slowly set behind the horizon.

"Fred and George! Come inside! You too Harry and Ron! C'mon now, supper is ready!" bellowed Mrs. Weasley.

The four of them landed on the ground and headed back into the kitchen. They all placed their broomsticks in the corner and grabbed a seat at the table. Sirius ran over and plopped himself down next to Harry. A couple of minutes later, Hermione and Ginny entered to room and sat down on the other side of the table. Mrs. Weasley looked up at her clock and read it:

_Arthur Weasley: Work_

_Percy Weasley: Work_

"Oh, those two work so late anymore. The Ministry never lets them come home on time, especially Percy. Ever since Mr. Crouch was uh…murdered and everything. He has taken his place you know." Mrs. Weasley explained to Hermione and Harry.

Mrs. Weasley handed out the dinner plates and filled them with wondrous food. They all ate and talked and devoured their food.

"Blimey Mum! They aren't home yet!" George spat out with a mouthful of food.

"Now George! Where are your manners? Don't talk with your mouth full!" Mrs. Weasley yelled.

"Sorry Mum." George mumbled.

Ron and Harry sniggered under the table and tried to hide their smiles so they wouldn't be so obvious. Just then, several barn owls swooped in through the open window and landed in front of Ginny, Hermione, Harry, Ron, George, and Fred. They each carried an envelope with emerald green writing on it.

"Oh! The school lists are here!" Hermione squeaked with joy as she grabbed her letter and ripped it open.

Harry opened his and started to read:

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross Station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock._

_Fifth years are still permitted to visit Hogsmeade on certain weekends during the year. Your permission forms have been kept and are on record._

_A list of books for the school year is enclosed._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Professor McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Harry finished the letter and turned to the list of books and read:

**FIFTH-YEAR STUDENTS WILL REQUIRE:**

_The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5_ by Miranda Goshawk

_Caring for Magical Creatures_ by Emerald Haveford

_Protecting Yourself from Dark Forces_ by Mad-Eye Moody

_A Thousand Years of Triumph and Defeat_ by Ismeric Switch

_Gazing Into the Future_ by Valliet Murtlrey

_Brew Yourself an Answer_ by Derrick Mogley

_Transfiguring Into Wonders_ by Merrit Blodgle

_Herbs and Fungi Uses for Everyday Life_ by Lucidre Cashwir

"Same old, same old. Nothing new." Fred said depressed.

"What did you expect? You should be happy that there isn't anymore books written by Lockhart that we need!" Ron said.

"True." Fred agreed.

There was a click on the door and Mr. Weasley and Percy walked into the house.

"Good evening dear." Mr. Weasley said to Mrs. Weasley.

"Hey Percy. Business booming as usual?" George asked sarcastically.

"At least I have a real job, unlike your, shall I say, _dream_ job." Percy snorted, noting the sarcasm.

"Yeah, you just wait Percy. Me and Fred are going to become rich and famous and just leave you back in the dust!" George screamed at Percy.

"Sure you will." Percy answered back, "Rich and famous. Ha! Like that would ever happen."

Fred had to hold George back from attacking Percy.

"Now boys. Please behave. We _do_ have company over you know." Mrs. Weasley said, nodding to Harry and Hermione.

"Well tell that low-life piece of--"

"THAT'S ENOUGH! Both of you stop bickering now! I do _not_ want anymore fighting in this house for the rest of the night! Do you all understand?" Mrs. Weasley said threateningly.

"Yes." everyone mumbled together.

"Good. Now let it stay that way." Mrs. Weasley said as she stormed out of the room. Sirius ran off as Mrs. Weasley left.

"Hey Ron, let's go up to your room." Harry whispered to Ron and Hermione.

"Alright. Let's go now." Ron answered.

Ron, Hermione, and Harry got up, walked over to the corner of the room, grabbed their broomsticks, and then headed upstairs. When they opened the door, Harry found Hedwig chatting her beak at Sirius. She looked as though she were annoyed at the presence of the dog. Ron turned and locked the door once everyone was through. Sirius then turned back into himself.

A screech owl suddenly flew in through the window and tossed a letter into Sirius's hands. Sirius opened the letter and read it. After he was finished with the letter, he handed it to Harry to read:

_Dear Sirius,_

_I received your letter of concern along with the letter from the mystery person. I am quite worried for our young Harry, but there is not much we can do at this present moment. I will indeed allow you to come and stay with Harry here at Hogwarts. I will talk to Professor Snape and inform him on the current situation we are dealing with. As for Lord Voldemort, I do not know what to do. But that is not of concern right now. Right now we must worry about how to get you through Hogwarts without arising and suspicion among the teachers and the students. Until then, best wishes to you. Be safe and smart Sirius._

_Dumbledore_

Harry handed the letter to Ron and Hermione when he had finished. They read it and their faces had an expression of happiness and horror at the same time. Harry tried hard not to laugh at the expressions. It was a comical sight. Even Sirius had to hide his face to control himself from laughing.

"Oh Harry! Well, the good news is about Sirius, but what about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Name?" Hermione asked.

"Who? Voldemort?" Harry asked.

"Stop saying his name!" Ron yelled.

"Shhh!" Harry said, "We can't be heard! Sirius is here, remember?"

"Well, what are we going to do about You-Know-Who?" Ron asked gloomily.

"_We're_ not doing anything. _I_ will fight Voldemort. It's my fight with him. Not yours. I don't want to get all of you involved. Besides, I'm going to do what Dumbledore said, and that is to wait." Harry answered.

"Harry, please be reasonable." Hermione pleaded.

"I am. You both aren't getting involved." Harry answered sharply.

"Why don't we all just get some sleep." Sirius said, looking at the faces of the three of them.

"Alright." Ron said, "G'night Hermione."

"Good-night." Harry said.

"See you all in the morning." Hermione said as she left the room.

Sirius changed back into a dog, curled up in a warm spot on the floor, and fell sound asleep. Ron crawled into his bed and fell asleep rather fast. Harry just lay there, as still as a stone, trying not to wake anyone up. He stared out the window and started to imagine his parents. He remembered everything that happened last year. He remembered the Triwizard Tournament and, most of all, the last task. The task in which Cedric Diggory and himself were transported to a graveyard where Cedric had been ruthlessly killed and Voldemort rose to power once again. He remembered how his wand had interlocked with Voldemort's wand in a spell and his parent's ghosts came out and told Harry to be strong. Harry had barely escaped with his life.

Before Harry realized it, he had fallen asleep. He had a dream that was unlike any dream he ever had. He seemed to be only a little toddler. He turned his head and saw a couple standing near a fireplace. They turned around and came walking over to Harry. It was his mother and father. They picked Harry up and started to talk and play games with him. Harry had never been so happy. Then a man walked in and came striding towards his father. Harry recognized the man as a young Sirius Black. Sirius took Harry into his hands and bounced him up and down. Harry was enjoying this all. He was with his parents and his godfather. Nothing could ruin this moment.

After a while, Sirius handed Harry back to his mother. He kissed Harry on his forehead and left. Harry started to cry. But his mother started to sing a low, sweet song:

"Dream away all your worries and fears. Sorrowful nights and warm days blend as one as you lay your little head onto the soft pillow. Sweet dreams my dear, sweet dreams."

Harry was soothed by the song and stopped crying.

She laid Harry back down into his crib as she walked into the kitchen.

Then a tall, dark figure in a cloak entered the house with a wand held out, pointing at his father. His father yelled something Harry couldn't understand. Harry's mother ran into the room, grabbed Harry, and locked herself and Harry in another room. Harry could hear everything going on. He heard the man scream _Avada Kedavra_! It was the Killing Curse. His father was now dead. The man burst through the door and started on Harry's mother. She pleaded with the man, but all he did was laugh at her. Then he killed her with the same curse. And then the man turned on Harry. The man screamed the curse and green light shot out of the wand at Harry's head. Harry screamed.

"AAAHHHHH!" Harry was screaming. His face was sweaty and his scar had searing pain shooting in it.

"Harry! HARRY! Are you okay?" Sirius and Ron were bent over him.

"It was a dream." Harry said.

"About what?" Sirius asked.

"About the night Voldemort came and killed my parents. It has never been so vivid and real before." Harry kept wincing at the pain on his head, "And you were there Sirius."

Sirius looked away from Harry quickly, trying not to catch his eyes.

"You were there, weren't you?" questioned Harry, now sitting up on his bed.

"I, er…I was, yes. I was there that night." Sirius answered, still staring at the floor.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"Well, I had stopped by earlier that evening, just for a visit. I left before he came. When I was down the street, I heard the scream of your mother, but I was too late. They were already killed. I thought the worst and suspected that you had been killed also. Then the guards from Azkaban came and chased me away. I should have never trusted that sly bastard, Wormtail! I'm so sorry Harry. I should have never trusted him." Sirius explained, now looking right at Harry.

"It's not your fault. You didn't know he was horrible like that. No one ever knew. Besides, you wouldn't have been able to stop Voldemort by yourself." Harry answered quietly.

Sirius smiled very faintly. Ron, on the other hand, looked very angry.

"What happened? What's wrong with you?" Harry asked flatly.

"I tell you all the time! Would you _please_ stop saying his name ?" Ron said through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry Ron. I'll try harder." Harry said.

"Let's get back to sleep. It's four in the morning. We'll be getting up soon enough." Sirius said coolly.

They all got into bed and fell asleep. Everyone except Harry. Harry still thought about the dream. So Voldemort killed his parents with one of the Unforgivable Curses. That's what the flash of green light was. Harry had known that that's what happened, but never heard the curse yelled out before. And he had tried to use it on him. But it backfired and hit him. It didn't work because Harry was protected by his mother, but not anymore. Voldemort took some of Harry's blood, so now Harry was defenseless. He didn't know what to do. Harry looked out the window and watched as the sun started to rise. He never realized he had been awake all that time. He got up, changed, grabbed his BrushFire 2005, and bolted out of the room and went outside, right back to the field.

Harry mounted his broom and kicked hard off the ground. The cool air rushing past his face felt refreshing to Harry and woke him up. He soared around the field, diving every which way and just zooming all over. He tried the Wronksi Feint a couple of times, trying to perfect it for this year's games. Hopefully he would use it against Slytherin and cream Malfoy straight into the ground. This made Harry smile. Anything that had to do with Malfoy getting hurt always pleased Harry, even in the worst of moods. Hopefully it will work on him. Then Harry could beat him and hopefully win the Cup.

As the sun rose higher into the air, Harry guessed that everyone would be waking up soon. And he was right. Sirius came pouncing out the back door and sat down under Harry, watching him fly around. Harry thought that Sirius probably missed flying on a broom. Then after Sirius, Ron and Hermione came running out.

"Hey Harry! Guess what!" Ron yelled up to Harry.

"What?" Harry asked.

"We're going to Diagon Alley today! C'mon!" Ron yelled back.


	5. An Old Teammate

**Author's Note: **Sorry about the numbers at the bottom of the page. Along with posting this on I am also creating it into my own personal "book." The numbers are the page numbers from it. I tried to fix it and hopefully I accomplished it. Sorry for any confusion.

**On to the story!**

Harry landed softly onto the ground and hopped off his broomstick. He caught up with Ron, Hermione, and Sirius as they all went into the house. Harry bounded up the stairs to get his bag of money out of his trunk and ran back down into the kitchen.

"Hello dear. Just to let you know, we are going to be traveling by Floo Powder again." Mrs. Weasley spoke softly.

"Okay." Harry mumbled. He remembered the last time he had used Floo Powder. He ended up in a store in Knockturn Alley. He never wanted to go there again.

"Do you remember how to use it?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Yes." Harry replied.

Fred walked up to the jar and took out a pinch of the powder and walked up to the fireplace, which held a crackling fire in it. Fred threw the powder in and the flames turned green. Fred walked in and yelled "Diagon Alley!" and he disappeared. George followed and did the same thing.

"Your turn Harry." Mrs. Weasley said.

Sirius came bounding up to Harry's heels.

"No Sirius." Harry whispered, "You've gotta stay here. I'll be alright. Don't worry."

Harry took a pinch of the powder and threw it into the fire. The fire roared and turned an emerald green right in front of his eyes. He stepped in and felt the warmth spread over him as the flames licked his arms.

"Diagon Alley!" Harry yelled as ash flew into his mouth. He closed his mouth very quickly so that he wouldn't swallow any of it. He felt himself start to spin as the chimney flew out of view. He started to spin very fast by now and saw fireplaces spiraling past. He felt dizzy and sick. He shut his eyes and hoped that he would land in Diagon Alley. Harry could feel himself start to slow down. The sick feeling in his stomach was starting to lift.

Harry suddenly felt his feet hit solid ground. He opened his eyes and saw Fred and George.

"You made it!" Fred shouted.

"Yeah…I guess I did, didn't I." Harry said proudly.

The fire behind them turned green and Ron stepped out.

"Hey Harry! You made it!" Ron exclaimed.

"We already established that." George said.

"Oh shut-up. I wasn't here to see it, now was I?" Ron said angrily.

"Now boys, don't start." said a disembodied voice. Mrs. Weasley appeared in the fire and stepped out, "I don't want any fights today either."

After Mrs. Weasley came Ginny, and finally, Hermione.

They all said their good-byes and went their separate ways. Fred and George went down the street to what looked like a joke shop, and Ginny and Mrs. Weasley headed off to the Apothecary. Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed off towards Flourish and Blotts. They went inside and found the manager helping a boy who looked as though he was going to start his first year at Hogwarts.

"Hello. Are you a first year coming to Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"Why, y – oh my gosh! You're Harry Potter aren't you!" the boy squeaked with excitement.

"Why, yes I am. What's your name?" Harry asked politely.

"Oh, my name? You want to know my name?" the boy seemed shocked.

"Yeah!" Harry replied.

"I didn't know someone as famous as you would really care! Anyway, my name is William McKearny. Billy for short. And yes, this is my first year to Hogwarts. I can't wait! I'm so excited to go!" Billy said.

"It's nice to meet you Billy. Hogwarts is a lot of fun. Hope you get placed in Gryffindor!" Harry said.

"Harry! Ron! Hermione!" called a boy from behind.

They turned around and saw their fellow Gryffindors, Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, and Dean Thomas.

"Hey you guys." Harry answered back.

"Did you see Oliver Wood?" Seamus asked.

"No." Harry said confused.

"He's right outside. He wanted to find you, but didn't know if you were here today." Dean chimed in.

"I'll be right back." Harry said to the five of them.

Harry walked outside the store and saw Oliver staring into the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies.

"Oliver!" Harry yelled over the crowd.

Oliver Wood turned around and came bustling towards Harry. Oliver was on his second year out of Hogwarts. He used to be Gryffindor's Quidditch Captain and a very good Keeper on the team.

"Harry! Good to see you again. Tell me, did you guys win the Quidditch Cup last year? And, oh yeah, who's the new captain? Is it Alicia? Angelina?" Oliver questioned.

"There was no Quidditch matches last year. They were all canceled." Harry replied.

"What?" Oliver looked puzzled.

"Hogwarts hosted a Triwizard Tournament." Harry said.

"Oh. That would explain it. Who were the champions?" Oliver asked even more interested.

"Well, there was Viktor Krum…"

"_Krum_? _The_ Viktor Krum?" Oliver spat.

"Yeah…and, let's see, oh yeah, there was Fleur Delacor, she was a veela, and Cedric Diggory…and _me_." Harry finished.

"_You_? But how? There's only s'posed to be three champions." Oliver said.

"Yeah. I know. It's a very long story and I don't have the time right now." Harry said flatly.

"Well, who won?" asked Oliver.

"Me." Harry said.

"You beat Cedric?" Oliver was beyond confused.

"You mean you didn't hear?" Harry asked astounded.

"No, what?" Oliver asked.

"Cedric was killed during the final task by Vol – I mean, You-Know-Who." Harry explained.

Oliver shivered at the mentioning of Voldemort.

"Oh…well…I've a…I've got to go." Oliver said, now looking thoroughly depressed.

"Okay, well, I'll see you around." Harry said.

"Yeah…bye Harry." Oliver said as he turned on his heels and sped off towards the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry turned around and headed back into Flourish and Blotts.

"We started to pick out your books Harry." Hermione said.

"Okay, thanks." Harry replied.

"Oh Harry!" Oliver was back.

"Yeah?" asked Harry.

"I forgot to tell you what I wanted you for." Oliver said.

"Okay?" Harry asked, a little worried.

"Well…" Oliver puffed out his chest, "I'm going to be Gryffindor's coach and a teacher of a certain subject!"

"What!" Harry found himself saying.

"Yes! Hogwarts is letting me teach a subject! Dumbledore offered me the position! He felt that I was the most qualified person for the spot. Great man, he is!" Oliver said, looking thoroughly proud of himself, "Oh, and by the way, you never did mention who the new captain was."

"Oh, well, you'll have to find out then, now won't you!" Harry said while laughing.

"You're a funny one!" Oliver managed to say as he left the store.

Harry turned back around and faced his friends.

"Well, that was very interesting." Ron said.

"Yeah, well, what can I say? That's Oliver for you." Harry shrugged his shoulders.

They all walked over and started picking up the books that they hadn't managed to get for him.

"Ugh…I really don't feel like taking Divination anymore." Ron said.

"Yeah. I'm running out of disastrous things to happen to me." Harry chuckled.

"You two should have taken Arithmacy then." Hermione said matter-of-factly.

Harry and Ron shrugged their shoulders and walked up to the manager. The manager totaled the amount and took the money from each of them and shooed them out of the store.

"Well, this is where we have to leave." Seamus told Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Yeah. We'll see you guys on the train." Harry said.

"Yup. See you then." Neville said cheerily.

The three of them turned and headed down the street. Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned and headed off to the Apothecary. They needed a refill on all of their ingredients. Then they finished their shopping and met up with Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, and Ginny.

"Well, let's head for home." Mrs. Weasley said brightly.

They all appeared back in the house five minutes later and packed the new school supplies in their trunks.

"I'm ready to go back tomorrow." Ron said.

"Yeah. But I guess we'll just have wait." Harry replied.

"Yeah. I guess so." Ron added.

They all met up at dinner that night. All the Weasleys and the two guests crowded around and enjoyed a meal prepared by Mrs. Weasley (with a little help of magic).

"This is delicious Mum!" Fred bellowed.

"Well thank you, dear. I prepared it almost all by myself. I just used a bit of magic to make it cook faster, but other than that, I did it myself." Mrs. Weasley puffed out her chest in pride.

"Wow. You're getting better at cooking." George added.

Mrs. Weasley beamed at the comments she was getting from the family. Her face held a smile that Harry had rarely ever seen, considering the fact that Fred and George usually kept her from smiling.

After everyone finished their dessert, Mrs. Weasley sent them all off to bed.

"You need a good night's sleep. Now go on, off the bed." Mrs. Weasley spoke.

They went their separate ways and headed to their rooms. Harry and Ron climbed all the way to the top and plopped down onto their bed. Before long, the two of them drifted off to sleep while Sirius curled up at the bottom of the bed and joined the two in a deep sleep.


	6. The Journey to Hogwarts

The day finally arrived! It was now the day to go back to Hogwarts. Harry laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He watched the Chudley Cannons zooming in and out of the posters. He knew that Mrs. Weasley would be coming around to all the rooms and waking everyone up. He was used to the routine. And soon enough, Harry could hear Mrs. Weasley walking up the stairs.

"Get up Fred! George, you better be awake!" Harry could hear Mrs. Weasley's voice echoing up the stairs.

Harry leaned over and shook Ron awake.

"Geroff me!" Ron said crankily.

"C'mon. Your Mum is coming around and getting everyone up." Harry spoke quietly.

"Alright. I'm up." Ron croaked.

There was suddenly a knock on the door.

"Ron. Harry. Time to wake up. Breakfast will be ready soon." Mrs. Weasley spoke softly through the door.

"We're up Mum. Don't worry." Ron grumbled back.

Harry sprang out of bed and threw on a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. He threw the rest of his stuff lying out into his trunk and closed the lid. He turned and stared out the window. "_What a beautiful morning it is_." Harry thought. Ron got out of bed and changed into a t-shirt and jeans. Harry and Ron stepped over the lump of black fur that was Sirius still sound asleep and headed down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Good morning to you both." Hermione said as Harry and Ron entered the kitchen.

"Hello." Harry replied cheerfully.

Harry and Ron grabbed a seat next to Hermione and Ginny.

"I told you two to get up! Fred and George! I want to see you both downstairs in two minutes or _else_!" Mrs. Weasley yelled threateningly.

"Alright! We're up!" Fred and George bellowed together.

Harry heard footsteps moving around above the kitchen. Then there were footsteps coming down the stairs. Mrs. Weasley suddenly appeared from the bottom of the steps.

"Hello dears. Excited about today?" Mrs. Weasley asked politely.

"Of course we are." Ron said.

"Well, that's good to hear." Mrs. Weasley added.

Fred and George jumped down three steps and landed at the bottom. Then they ran over and grabbed a seat next to Harry.

"Glad you could join us for breakfast." Mrs. Weasley said.

Mrs. Weasley bustled over to the kitchen counter and stove. She pulled out her wand and tapped the stove three times.

"_Cookiamarus!_" Mrs. Weasley muttered.

All the pots and pans sprang to life and the stove turned on. Mrs. Weasley grabbed a handful of eggs and started cracking them on the side of the pan and poured the yolks into the pan. The pan automatically started to fry the eggs and a spatula was scrambling the eggs around. She made pancake mix faster than Harry would ever be able to do. She poured the batter into another pan and that spatula was flipping pancakes left and right. Another pan held the sausage and the toaster popped out one piece of toast after another.

After what seemed like five minutes, Mrs. Weasley had breakfast ready.

"I thought you said you were cutting back on the magic." Fred said.

"Well, in situations where you have no time, I'm going to use it." Mrs. Weasley replied back.

Fred and George sniggered under the table. They didn't believe she was cutting back at all.

After everyone finished eating, Mr. Weasley came bustling down the stairs half dressed.

"Am I late? Did they leave already?" Mr. Weasley frantically asked.

"Honey, you haven't missed the kids. Now maybe you should go back upstairs and put some pants on so that you can take the children to the train station." Mrs. Weasley chuckled.

"Oh…yeah…right. I'll go do that right now." And with that, the blushing Mr. Weasley ran up the stairs.

"Alright children. Hurry off and finish packing your things. Bring down everything once you have finished." Mrs. Weasley turned to them.

Everyone got up from the table and headed upstairs to finish packing their belongings. Harry was almost finished. The only thing he had to worry about was waking up Sirius, packing his BrushFire 2005, and getting Hedwig back in her cage. Harry and Ron reached the room where they found Sirius plopped on top of Ron's bed. They walked around the room, throwing things in their trunk that they had overlooked the first time. Harry looked out the window and saw Hedwig coming right for him. She flew in through the window and landed on Harry's shoulder.

"Sorry Hedwig, but you have to go in your cage now." Harry said.

Hedwig turned her head in disgrace and reluctantly went into her cage. Harry shut the door and placed the cage and his BrushFire 2005 on top of his trunk. He then grabbed the side of the trunk and started to drag it down the stairs. Harry could hear the _thump thump_ of the other trunks being drug downstairs also. When Harry finally reached the bottom, Ginny and Hermione were down there with all of their things. Then came Ron, and finally, Fred and George.

"You all have your things packed and ready to go?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Yes." they all said together.

"Honey! I'm here! I'm ready to take the kids!" Mr. Weasley came stumbling down the stairs.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley helped pack the trunks into two rental cars from the Ministry of Magic. Harry turned and saw Sirius pouncing out of the front door, followed closely by Crooshanks, and jumped into the back seat of one of the cars. Harry, Ron, and Hermione got into the same car. Fred, George, and Ginny went into the other one. Mr. Weasley hopped into the car, started the ignition, and both cars headed towards the train station.

After about fifteen minutes, they arrived at the train station. They pulled the cars over at the curb and unloaded the trunks. Sirius hopped out of the car and stood next to Harry. Mr. Weasley ran inside the station and came back with six trolley carts. They each put their trunks onto the carts and wheeled them into the station. They walked past several crowds of people, each staring at Harry and wondering why he had an owl with him. They walked past the platforms and watched as people boarded their trains.

"There it is!" Ron yelled, "Platforms Nine and Ten."

"Okay. Ron and Harry, you're up first." Mrs. Weasley said.

Harry and Ron pushed their carts up to the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten and paused. Sirius jumped onto the little space that was left on Harry's cart so that he didn't have to run anymore.

"Ready?" Harry asked.

"How many times have we done this?" Ron asked sarcastically.

"Oh, only about four times." Harry chuckled.

Harry and Ron pushed their carts at a jog and headed right towards the barrier. Three feet…two feet…one foot…then they were through. They passed through the barrier and were now standing on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

Harry looked around and saw many first years standing near their parents. Then he saw the scarlet train. The Hogwarts Express was ready to go. Ginny and Hermione appeared next, followed by Fred and George.

"This way." Hermione said to Harry and Ron.

Ginny walked off with a group of her friends. Fred and George caught up with their friend, Lee Jordan. Harry, Hermione, and Ron headed for a compartment near the end of the train. They loaded their trunks and sat in their seat. Sirius plopped down on the floor and fell asleep. By this time, Harry's stomach started to growl. He couldn't wait until the witch came around with the food.

After five minutes, the whistle blew and the train sped off towards the rolling green hills.

"So, who do you think the new Dark Arts teacher will be?" Ron asked.

"I dunno." Harry said.

"It could be anyone." Hermione replied.

"I just hope Hagrid gets some good animals for lessons this year." Ron said.

"Yeah, something new for Malfoy to complain about to his Dad." Harry pointed out.

"I'm not going to take any crap from him this year." Ron said through gritted teeth.

"You say that every year, but honestly Ron, you aren't going to do anything. You know better than that. I know you won't sink down to his level." Hermione said.

"I wonder when the witch will be coming. I do hope she comes soon. I'm bloody hungry." Ron exclaimed.

Just then, the compartment door slid open and Malfoy walked in, followed by his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle. Sirius awoke at the sound of the compartment door slamming shut.

"Well look at what we got here boys." Malfoy said with a grin broadening on his face, "Why yes, I do believe we have a bunch of wasted talent sitting right in front of us."

At this remark, Sirius jumped up onto all fours and started to growl. The fur on the back of his neck raised as a threat to Malfoy. Harry held Sirius back from attacking, but Crooshanks jumped up and started to hiss along with Sirius' growl.

"Shut-up Malfoy. I'm warning you." Ron spoke angrily.

"Or what? What are you gonna do about it? Are you going to get your Muggle-loving father up here?" Malfoy laughed.

"At least he doesn't crawl back on his hands and knees to his 'Lord' that he abandoned." Harry said.

"You watch it Potter. You can be next you know." Malfoy was starting to get angry.

"Is that a threat?" Ron asked.

"However you take it Weasley. I'd watch your back if I were you Potter. You'd never know what could be lurking around every corner." Malfoy turned and walked out, Crabbe and Goyle following behind. Sirius and Crooshanks calmed down and sat next Harry.

"I don't know how much more I can take of him." Ron was beginning to calm down.

"We should have fed him to the Blast-Ended Skrewts last year. They would have enjoyed eating him." Harry said.

"Nothing would want to eat something that rotten." Hermione chimed in, "Anyway, we should probably start getting changed."

"But Hermione, it hasn't even been an hour yet." Harry said.

"Yeah, but you'd better do it now before it becomes too late." Hermione added.

"Yeah. Sure Hermione." Ron said sarcastically.

"Well fine. If you don't want to then you don't have to. But I don't want to hear you two whining about how you should have gotten changed earlier when we arrive." Hermione turned and walked out of the compartment.

"What's gotten into her?" Ron asked.

"I dunno. Remember, this is Hermione. She always does stuff early." Harry said.

"Yeah. You're right." Ron laid back in the seat.

Harry and Ron sat there and stared out the window. They were excited and could not wait until they reached Hogwarts. Hermione had been gone for a couple of minutes, but when she returned, she was fully dressed in here Hogwarts clothes, her hat in her hand. She walked over and sat back down next to Harry.

After an hour, the plump witch came strolling through the door and came down towards their compartment.

"Good afternoon." she spoke softly, "Would you like anything from my cart?"

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out his bag full of money.

"I would like three of everything." Harry said and handed the witch a handful of sickles.

The witch took the money, counted it out, and handed Harry all the food in a small bag. She nodded and strolled off towards the other compartments.

"Thanks Harry. You saved me from Mum's sandwiches. She made one for each of us." Ron said.

"Yes, thank you very much Harry. That was very sweet of you." Hermione added.

Harry reached into the bag, divided all the food evenly, and gave them to Ron, Hermione, and himself. They all dove into the food.

"Oh boy! This is all so good!" Ron howled.

"I know. I've been waiting for a while." Harry said.

They ate the rest of their food in peace and sat anxiously, waiting to see the beautiful view of the castle.


	7. The Transfers

**Author's Note: **Sorry, but it might take me a little longer to update. Graduation just happened, I got a new job, and now I have to prepare for college. I will finish the story though, but it won't be as quick as I have been. Sorry for any wait!

**The Story Continues...**

The train slowly pulled into Hogsmeade Station. All the students unloaded the train and headed off towards the carriages. Harry heard the familiar voice of Hagrid in the distance.

"Firs' years! All firs' years come on over here!" Hagrid yelled.

Harry knew that the first years traveled across the lake in a boat and entered the castle in a different entrance. He had to do it himself on his first year.

Harry, Sirius, Ron, Hermione, and Crookshanks walked towards the awaiting carriages to take them to the school. They boarded the carriages and shut the door. The carriage jerked forward and headed off towards the castle.

"Yes, so close!" Ron said.

"Almost there." Harry added.

The carriage came to halt in front of the castle. It was completely dark by now. They climbed out of the carriage and walked up the stone steps to the huge doors.

"Good evening Harry." It was Dumbledore. He opened the doors to greet the returning students. This was the first time this ever happened.

"Hello." Harry said.

Dumbledore knelt over and whispered something into Sirius' ear that Harry could not make out. Then he stood up and waved them inside.

Dumbledore opened the doors and let all the students enter into the Entrance Hall. Sirius stayed behind with Dumbledore. All the students then made a turn and walked into the Great Hall. The ceiling was bewitched to look like the clear, night sky outside. The hall was decorated in the school's colors and a huge Hogwarts banner hung above the teacher's table. Above each table was a banner, each representing each of the four houses (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin). The students all headed to their tables and took a seat. Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed towards the back, where the Gryffindor banner hung high and proud. Next to the banner was the trophy that was awarded to Gryffindor two years ago. Harry remembered that year well.

All the students took their seats and quickly became silent, all waiting for the arrival of the first years. Harry turned and saw Hagrid enter through the door behind the teacher's table and take a seat. He looked over at Harry and gave him a wink. Harry smiled and turned to watch the doors.

The doors suddenly burst open and Professor McGonagall led the first years to the front of the room. She told the students to stay put and walked into a room on the side. She came back out carrying an old, shabby-looking hat. Harry recognized the hat very well. It was the Sorting Hat. It placed students in the houses that it thought best suited them. Professor McGonagall raised her hand to silence the crowd: The Sorting Hat started to sing:

"_Oh, you may think I'm not a pretty sight to look at,_

_But don't judge anything on what you see,_

_I'll burn myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your pointed hats black_

_And keep them standing tall,_

_Because I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing you can hide_

_That I cannot see,_

_So put me on_

_And I will tell you where you ought to be._

_Perhaps I will put in Gryffindor,_

_Where the brave stand strong,_

_And their courage and nerve_

_Send Gryffindors along._

_I might put you in Ravenclaw,_

_Where they have an intelligent mind,_

_For those who are willing to learn_

_Will always find their kind._

_Or perhaps in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_They are true and patient_

_And unafraid of toil._

_Why not the mighty Slytherin,_

_Where you will find your true friends,_

_Those people will go to any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_I'm only three feet high!_

_Your future will be safe_

_For your grades will fly!_

The whole entire hall burst into applause, all except the first years, who were quivering on the spot. Harry leaned towards Ron and whispered something in his ear.

"Can you imagine? That was us four years ago." Harry said.

"Yeah. That was us. Standing there shaking." Ron started to laugh, "I wonder how many of them have annoying older brothers who scared them like Fred and George did to us!"

The hall immediately became silent as Professor McGonagall unrolled the parchment that held the names of the new students.

"When I call your name, please come forward and have a seat on the stool." Professor McGonagall said, "Abott, Melanie!"

A short girl with dirty blonde hair walked up to the stool. She sat down and Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head. It dropped down and covered her eyes. There was a moment's pause—

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

The table on the right burst into applause as the girl walked over and sat down at the Hufflepuff table.

"Buggett, Brendon!"

"RAVENCLAW!" and Brendon scuttled off towards the table on the left.

"Brown, Mandy!"

"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat and Harry and the rest of the table cheered as Mandy walked over to join them.

"That's my little sister!" Lavender Brown, a fellow Gryffindor, said to Harry.

The Sorting Hat went on until it reached a name Harry recognized.

"McKearney, William!" Professor McGonagall shouted.

Harry remembered him from Flourish and Blotts. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his small head. The Sorting Hat paused for a moment before it yelled "GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry cheered the loudest and waved William over. He jumped off the stool and walked over to the Gryffindor table. He saw Harry waving him over and took a seat next to him.

Harry leaned over and whispered into his ear, "Welcome to Gryffindor!"

William smiled a toothy grin as he watched the rest of the sorting. Finally, the last name was called.

"Westworth, Zoey!"

The girl walked up to the stool and took a seat. Harry stared long and hard at the girl. She looked vaguely familiar. But Harry couldn't pinpoint where he would know her from. The hat barely even touched her head when it shouted "SLYTHERIN!"

The far table burst out screaming and cheering as the young girl walked over.

"You know, it's really a shame." Hermione said.

"What is?" Ron asked.

"Well, what if not all the kids who get sent to Slytherin are all bad. What if they are actually really nice. But the house and people just turn them evil." Hermione finished.

Harry sunk in his seat. He never told anyone but Dumbledore about the Sorting Hat wanting to place Harry in Slytherin when he first tried it on. But that was all in the past. Harry knew he was placed in Gryffindor for a reason.

Dumbledore rose to his feet and raised both hands to try and silence the crowd. Almost instantly, the hall hushed and became quiet.

"As you all know, we here at Hogwarts are always pleased with going the extra distance to make our reputation even better. So we have something special happening this year. Professor McGonagall, would you please take over from here?" Dumbledore stated.

"We here at Hogwarts are pleased to announce that we have some transfers from other schools from the around the world. They will be spending the whole year with us, attending classes and all functions. It will be as though they have been here since the beginning." Professor McGonagall spoke softly.

Dumbledore stood back up and spoke, "I would like you all to welcome your new classmates!"

At that instant, the doors to the Great Hall burst open and four people walked into the room. There were two guys and two girls. Harry looked hard at them. The two boys looked to be about sixteen, putting them in with the sixth years. The one girl looked to be about a second year. But the last girl…when Harry set his eyes upon her, he thought his heart stopped beating. The last girl was more beautiful than a veela ever could be.

The four transfers walked to the front of the Hall and stood in front of the Sorting Hat.

"And just like all the others, they too will be sorted." Professor McGonagall added, "When I call your name, please step forward and take a seat on the stool. The hat will take it from there…William Lloyd, sixth year!"

One of the two boys stepped up and sat down.

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted.

"Patricia Gertrude, second year!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Jeramiah Hanssing, sixth year!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Benicia Poliverie, fifth year!"

_She has to be in Gryffindor! _Harry thought and prayed very hard. _There is no doubt! She is definitely Gryffindor material!_

But before Harry could think another word, the hat replied its dreaded answer: "SLYTHERIN!"

"But there's got to be a mistake!" Harry yelled out without realizing what he had just done.

"Excuse me Mr. Potter?" Professor McGonagall said in a annoyed tone.

"Oh, sorry Professor…I was just debating that um…that…that we won't be learning about Unicorns this year!" Harry blurted out.

"Right then Mr. Potter. Now would you mind staying quite for the rest of the ceremony?" Professor McGonagall snorted.

"Yes Professor." Harry mumbled.

Benicia stood up and headed towards Slytherin's table. Harry looked over and caught the glimpse of Malfoy. He was watching Benicia walk over with a grin on his face! She is way too good for the likes of him! Malfoy waved his hand to Benicia and she walked over and took a seat next to him.

"_How dare he!"_ Harry thought.

Dumbledore rose to his feet once again and silenced the crowd.

"Now that that is all over with, time for the announcements. As you all know, there is a position to be filled this year. We all know what subject that would be." Dumbledore started. There were a few chuckles at that comment. Harry knew what he was talking about. Every year, they needed a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Rumors say that the job is cursed and that is why no one ever stayed more than one year.

"And many of you will know the teacher taking the job. He has already acquired the job a few years before, so I feel he is more than qualified to obtain the position."

Harry stared over at Snape. He had a sour face on. Harry knew that it was probably someone he disliked.

"Oh please don't say it's Lockhart!" Ron mumbled.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if you would please give a hand for…Professor Lupin!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione jumped out of their seats and cheered the loudest as Professor Lupin entered and took a seat next to Hagrid.

"YES!" Ron yelled.

"He's back! He's really back!" Hermione said.

Dumbledore raised his arms again and the room fell silent once more.

"As a recap for most students, the third floor corridor is still, and forever will be, off-limits to students. The Forbidden Forest is also still off-limits. No midnight strolls are to be allowed and remember, you are here for the most possible amount of learning…with a dash of fun." Dumbledore said,

"Now, before I bore you to death, let us eat!" Dumbledore clapped his hands and all the golden plates and goblets filled with food. There was chicken and sweet potatoes, beans of all kinds and plenty of mashed and baked potatoes to go around. The Pumpkin Juice was extra cold and tasted better than ever before. After everyone finished their second and third servings, the plates became clean, and then were piled high with all kinds of desserts imaginable.

"I don't remember it ever tasting so good." Ron said with a mouthful of chocolate pudding.

When everyone finished with the desserts, Dumbledore clapped his hands again and all the food disappeared.

"Well, wasn't that a delightful welcome back meal?" Dumbledore asked, a smile then broadening across his face, "Well, will all the prefects please take the students up to their common rooms. Have a good night's rest and be ready to start off the school year bright and early tomorrow morning."

And with that, all the students rose out of their seats and headed their separate directions to their common rooms. Harry looked over and caught one more glimpse of Benicia before she walked out of the door. _"How could she be placed in Slytherin?"_ Harry thought.

There were new prefects this year for Gryffindor. The prefects led all the Gryffindors through the corridors and up flights of stairs until they finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Password?" asked the portrait.

"Periwinkle." said one of the prefects, "Now first years, you must remember that password in order to be allowed in the common room at all times. Do not tell any other student in other house. It must be kept between us Gryffindors."

The portrait swung open and revealed the common room. They all climbed in and most headed to their dorm room. Hermione headed up the girls' tower after saying good-night to them. Harry and Ron then headed up.

Once they entered the room, they found Neville, Seamus, and Dean already there. Harry glanced over and found a note on top of his bed. He walked over and read:

_Dear Harry,_

_Dumbledore has offered me to live in his office. I figured it would be the best so that no one would be suspicious. Don't worry, I'll still have my eye on you._

_Sirius_

Harry folded the letter and placed it into his trunk. Then he changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed. He though about what tomorrow's classes were going to be like. He then slowly drifted off to sleep.


	8. The New Class

**Author's Note: **Sorry it took so long. I've been on Senior Week. But hey, better late than never! Enjoy!

**The story continues…**

Harry awoke the next morning and silently crept to his trunk and dressed. He threw his Hogwarts robe on and tiptoed out of the room. Everyone was still asleep. He walked down the stairs and into the empty common room. The fire was burned out by now and the room smelled of a beautiful morning. He walked out, through the portrait hole, and down the corridors to the Great Hall. He entered the Hall and saw some students, already awake and eating their breakfast. Harry walked over and sat down at his table. There were only two other Gryffindors sitting there. He started to pick at his food. He didn't feel that hungry.

After a few minutes, all the students started to pile into the hall and take their seats at the tables. Hermione and Ron walked over and sat next to Harry.

The head teachers for each house were now walking around and handing out the new schedules. Professor McGonagall walked over to Harry and bent over to whisper into his ear.

"There has been a class added this year that is for only certain students. You have been placed into that class. Please do not spread the word around about it. Your schedule will tell you everything." Professor McGonagall said as she handed Harry his schedule and moved on.

"Oh man!" Ron yelled, "Double Potions with the Slytherins!"

"Well, we are with the Slytherins for Care of Magical Creatures also." Hermione added.

Then Harry saw it. It was a class completely dedicated to teaching Quidditch. And he saw who the teacher was. It was Oliver Wood.

"So that's what he was talking about." Harry mumbled under his breath.

"What'd ya say?" Ron asked.

"Oh, nothing." Harry lied.

They sat and ate breakfast quietly as Hermione opened her Transfiguration book and began reading.

Harry and Ron stood up and started walking towards the door.

"See you later Hermione." Harry said as they headed off towards Divination class.

It was a long march up to the North Tower. As they walked along, they heard a familiar voice.

"Come along now! Come on you yellow-bellied steed!" it was Sir Cadogan.

Harry and Ron ran up to the portrait on the wall where a short knight was standing, pulling on the reins of his horse, who just stood there eating the grass.

"Sir Cadogan. Do you remember us?" Ron asked.

"Of course I do! You think I am a fool? Ha! Think again!" Sir Cadogan said with pride in his voice.

"Yeah, of course, what was I thinking?" Ron said sarcastically.

"Well, we better be off." Harry said.

"Good luck to ye fellows!" Sir Cadogan called after them as they ran up to the North Tower.

When they reached the tower, the door in the ceiling opened and the ladder dropped to the ground. Harry and Ron climbed up the ladder.

"We have been expecting you." said a wispy voice that belonged to Professor Trelawney.

They looked over and saw Professor Trelawney sitting in her chair with a crystal ball in front of her. Harry and Ron took a seat at a round table near the back of the room.

"I wonder how I'm going to die this year." Harry mumbled to Ron.

Ron sniggered at the remark as Professor Trelawney glanced over at the two of them. Ron hid his face so that he would not be scolded.

"Today we will be studying the future using advanced crystal balls." Professor Trelawney explained while walking over to her shelves full of crystal balls, "Oh, and Mr. Longbottom, could you please use the unbreakable crystal ball sitting behind you. I would really like to keep these from breaking."

Neville's face turned bright red as he swung around in his chair to grab the crystal ball behind him.

"Now class, if you would be so kind as to come get a crystal ball and take it back to your seat."

Harry and Ron stood up and walked over. Ron grabbed a ball that was glowing blue while Harry grabbed one that was green. They hurried off back to their seats as Professor Trelawney cleared her throat.

"Now class, place the ball six inches from the edge of the table."

The whole class moved at once.

"Now stare very closely…bring your head down level with the ball…don't lose your concentration…keep your eyes focused."

Harry stared very closely. The clouds started to swirl and an image started to form.

Harry watched himself in the ball. He saw himself walking across the lawn in front of the castle. Then he saw Benicia. Benicia walked up to Harry. She put her arms around him. He pulled her closer…closer…then the clouds quickly swirled and Voldemort's face appeared, laughing a blood-curling laugh.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" Harry screamed and his chair fell back and Harry tumbled off and onto his back.

The sudden scream scared Neville and he accidentally knocked his crystal ball over. The ball rolled off the edge of the table and hit the ground. It bounced off the ground and landed back in the original spot on the shelf.

"Harry! Are you okay?" Ron asked anxiously.

"Yeah…I'm alright…I…I just saw something…I just saw a dragon." Harry lied.

Professor Trelawney glared at Harry in disbelief.

"Sorry Professor. I'll um…I'll try not to let that happen again." Harry mumbled.

"What did you see?" Ron questioned.

"I saw Benicia and—" but Harry was cut short.

"That Benicia is bad. I know it! There's something about her I don't like." Hermione said through a mouthful of chicken.

"What are you talking about? Benicia is fine!" Ron spat out.

"No she's not!" Hermione yelled.

"Hey! Do you guys want to hear about what I saw or not?" Harry asked impatiently.

"Yeah. Sorry. Go on Harry." Ron said.

"Yes. Do go on Harry." Hermione added.

"Okay. Well, like I said, I saw Benicia and she was walking over to me. She hugged me and I held her. I was about to kiss her when the clouds swirled and Voldemort appeared!" Harry spoke quietly.

"You don't think that's true, do you Harry?" Ron asked.

"I don't know. Those things are supposed to be true, but this is Professor Trelawney's class! I mean, she has said I was supposed to die every year I have had her. I don't know what to believe anymore. But, Voldemort's face is what's getting to me." Harry groaned.

"What about what Malfoy said on the train!" Hermione chimed in.

"I completely forgot about what he said!" Harry yelled.

"Do you think they have anything to do with each other?" Ron asked.

"I dunno." Harry admitted.

"Well, it's off to the library!" Hermione said.

"Yeah. We have a free period this year and where do they send us? They send us to the library!" Ron exclaimed.

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing!" Hermione stated, "Well, let's get moving."

"Yeah. I'll see you guys next class. I have somewhere to go." and Harry hurried out of the Great Hall.

Harry bounded down the corridor and found the room. He walked inside and found that he was the first one in.

"SURPRISE!" Oliver yelled over to Harry, "My own class! This is so great!"

"Yeah." Harry said as he walked over and took a seat.

Now others started to walk in. He saw Cho Chang walk in next, followed by Fred and George. Then the rest of the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff Quidditch teams.

"Yes! No Slytherins are in the class!" Fred bellowed.

But to their horror, the whole Slytherin team walked in together and took a seat in the back.

"Okay class. Welcome to the first ever Quidditch Class. I hope you will all enjoy it. We will spend time learning about the history of Quidditch, with some first-hand experience planned!" Oliver beamed, "Now class, you will be receiving a book that the school has graciously provided for everyone in here, plus an extra book for the Captain of each team."

Harry hid a smirk at that remark.

"Now, if you would all please come and get your book."

Harry stood up and walked over to the pile of books. He picked one up and read the title, _Quidditch Through the Ages_. Harry walked back over and took his seat.

"Okay then. Now will each Captain please stand so that I can hand you this book?" Oliver said.

Harry rose out of his seat and looked around to see the other captains.

All the Captains were the same, except for Cho, she became one! Harry looked and saw Malfoy's face. His jaw had dropped when he saw Harry stand.

Oliver walked around and handed all four of them a book.

"So this was your surprise? That's a good one!" Oliver whispered into Harry's ear.

Harry smiled and sat back down in his seat. He looked down at his book. "_Quidditch For Captains_," Harry read.

"Where were you all that time?" Ron asked.

"Okay, you two must promise not to tell anyone about this. It's s'posed to be a secret." Harry said.

"A secret from who?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"The students. It's a new class and Professor McGonagall told me not to tell anyone about it." Harry replied.

"Okay, well, what is it then?" Ron asked anxiously.

"It's a class about Quidditch! All Quidditch players are in it." Harry answered.

"Wow! That's so cool Harry! I wish I were in that class." Ron grumbled.

"Yeah. I wish you two were in it with me." Harry stated.

"So who took Oliver's place anyway?" Hermione asked.

"I didn't even realize that!" Harry said, "There was no one new. Am I supposed to choose?"

"I'm not sure Harry. Maybe you should talk to—"

"Mr. Potter!" Professor McGonagall came bounding over to Harry.

"Oh yes, Professor I had a question to ask—"

"Just wait one moment, please Mr. Potter. I wanted to talk to you about the Quidditch team." Professor McGonagall lowered her voice.

"Just what I wanted to talk to you about." Harry nodded.

"Oh, well good. Since you are the new Gryffindor Captain, and you have never had any experience with these sort of things, I decided to let you in on what to do." Professor McGonagall went on, "As you know, Oliver Wood will be the personal coach for the team, as do all the Houses have their own, but Mr. Wood cannot tell you how to run the team, only give advice. That, Mr. Potter, is your job. I know you need a new Keeper, and for this, you must hold try-outs. Set up a date and time. I'd advise to do it quickly, Mr. Potter. You might want to get training as soon as possible if we want to keep that Cup in our hands."

Professor McGongall strolled away towards the Head Table to enjoy her meal.

"Wow. Couldn't have planned that one any better." Harry chuckled.

"Yeah. Now you're going to have to decide whose best for that position? You've never even played that spot, so how are you supposed to know who should get it?" Ron inquired.

"I'm not sure. I guess I can talk to Oliver about it. Maybe ask what to look for and things like that." Harry replied.

"Or you could just read about it in a book." Hermione added.

"Hermione, you would be the only one to mention researching in a book." Ron said sarcastically.

"Just because I can actually find the answers to my questions in a reasonable manner doesn't mean you have to go and get huffy about it. You two just keep talking then. I'll start reading my…_book_." Hermione turned her head away.

"It's too late for that Hermione. It's time to get going to class." Harry said.

"So where are we off to?" Ron asked.

"Potions with you-know-who." Harry grumbled.

"Oh, this ought to be a great day then." Ron mumbled.

"What day isn't a great day with the Slytherins?" Harry said sarcastically.

"C'mon you two! We're going to be late if we don't move faster! I don't want to end the day costing Gryffindor fifty points!" Hermione yelled.

49


End file.
